Lungs
by Tince
Summary: A birthday gift prods a hungry, uncomfortable merc into reaching some  inescapable  conclusions. - *A liberal dose of Rayne.


Disclaimer: Not even a tiny, miniscule, highly-neglected bit of it is mine.

A/N: So I reckon this is turning into a series of sorts, no concrete plans - as I write whenever I've got a little time (and in law school, that's usually a big, fat "never") - but when I do, I imagine they'll all be just like this one. Short, every-day interactions in a [somewhat continuing] timeline from my prior stories.

**Lungs**

by Tince

Jayne Cobb was going to hit something.

His temples throbbed, his skull pounded, and his ears rang. He had a headache to match none in the 'verse.

The gorram moonbrain had been at it for _hours_. Ever since her _hun dan_ of a brother had brought that _luh suh, _broke down ol' radio on the ship in the mornin' (but what Jayne swore, felt like _weeks_) - the girl had been playin' it and stompin' around in the cargo bay.

Well, he reckon'd that she was dancin' (he knew that hard as she tried, Moony couldn't "stomp" if she wanted to - everything she did looked like gorram _poetry... _andhe _hated _poetry) and it was more'n likely the rest'a the crew were doin' all the gorram _stompin_'when they joined in.

And they refused to _shut. the. hell. up._

He didn't know what had gotten into all of 'em. He'd been lifting in the cargo bay, enjoyin' the rare sunlight streamin' in through the open hold's doors and mindin' his own business, when the Doc had come stormin' in, with a large box in his hands, all work'd up into a lather.

Now, normally Jayne would'a have felt _morally obligated and such _to ruin the Doc's good mood - or at least, since they were _sortakindamaybe_ friends, bring him down a peg or two_ - _but the Doc looked almost obscenely happy and curiosity won out.

He opened him mouth to speak and ask what was doin' (the box look'd like some sort'a gift, wrapped in white, shiny paper with a big red bow on top), and the Doc rushed straight past the massive merc, like he ain't even seen him, screamin' "River!" at the top of his lungs.

Jayne groaned inwardly. These last couple of months had seen a few uncomfortable run-ins with Riv-_the girl_ and it seemed every time he saw her, he had to restrain himself from... _something_.

What exactly that was - gorramit if he knew - but restraint didn't come easy to a man like Jayne. He didn't like it, and for the most part, had no use for it. He just had a _feeling_ that, in this particular situation (and this particular girl, his brain prodded), he was likely to find himself in some _trouble_ if he didn't show some of that... restraint.

When Moony didn't instantly appear, Simon kept yellin' at the top o' his voice from the middle of the bay, eventually bringin' the whole crew 'ceptin Crazy to various positions above the bay. They had been given the mornin' off on Persephone, but the women (Kaylee, 'Nara, and Zoe... Jelly Brain didn't count) had left at the crack of dawn and returned in record time, so they had been huddled in the mess since. Mal had stayed on the ship and last Jayne had seem of him, he was doing accounts on the bridge. Jayne had been sore and tired from the previous night's job, so he had opted to spend his free hours in the cargo bay, working the tension and stiffness out'ta his body. The Doc had been the only one gone all day - Jayne hadn't seen the moonbrain since yesterday - so when he had come flyin' in, everyone was back on ship.

Jayne went back to sit on his weight bench, while the others came down the steps to the Doc, who had a smile on that was so wide Jayne'd thought his face would crack in half if he weren't careful.

Mal was the last to descend, and Jayne caught the annoyed look on his face. Jayne grinned - he knew what was comin'. The Cap'n wasn't happy when someone else had his crew's attention.

Mal delivered just as the merc expected him to.

"Hey Doc, you wanna explain why you've been squealin' like a pig in my bay? 'Cause as everyone here rightly knows, there won't be any pig-like squealin' on my ship unless I say so."

The Doc turn'd his face to the left to face the Cap'n and rather than looking annoyed like Jayne had [hopefully] expected, both he [and the Cap'n, by a raised eyebrow] noticed that the Doc still had that idiot smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I assure you, the.. uh, squealing was unintentional. I just bought a gift for River and I'm rather excited to give it to her. I must have been calling to her louder than I meant to. I apologize," and the Doc turned back to the steps.

Mal huffed and Jayne saw the Cap'n visibly try to save face in front of the women (...the girl didn't count. She wasn't a woman. Yup. A crazy _girl._), "Yeah, well, Doc... don't go gettin' too excitable on my ship."

Kaylee snorted, "Aww, leave 'im alone, Cap'n. I think it's _shiny_, he's so excited about a gift for River." She gave Simon a dopey grin, and Jayne felt sick. Those two were downright unsettlin'.

Simon quickly returned with a matchin' smile (_ugh,_ Jayne grimaced) but quickly went back to cryin' Riv-the _girl's_ name.

Finally, she appeared on the platform above 'em and Jayne felt his lungs near drop int'a his stomach.

The girl glowed.

She had the biggest, widest (_prettiest, stunnin'_, his dumb brain added) smile on her face and Jayne felt like the entire damn cargo bay had been lit up (includin' with those megawatt, heavy-duty nighttime emergency bulbs Mal had forced him to put up two months ago).

She actually gorram _glowed_.

...with the Doc grinnin' right back at her. "Based on that face, _mei-mei_,I'm going to assume you already know what I've brought back and I should be extremely angry that you ruined your surprise. But I think - just for today - you're forgiven."

Still looking up at his sister, the Doc held the package out in his arms. The girl, continuing to _beam _out at all of 'em, slowly walked down the stairs, reachin' for the package and starin' at it in wonder. She held out one slim arm, slid it around her brother's waist and gave him a light peck on his cheek, going back to starin' at the brightly wrapped gift.

"Thank you, _ge-ge_. The most beautiful present the Girl could ever want."

Simon squeezed her tightly from the one side, and dropped a kiss in her hair, "Happy birthday, River."

_Ah _right. 'Nara had mentioned somethin' about it last night, but this is the first time the girl had appeared all day. So a chorus of "Happy Birthday!"'s rang out at that point (with Jayne making a non-verbal grunt in general agreement), and the girl grinned out at all of them in turn. When she turned to look at him, he saw her eyes go _soft_. He felt his back stiffen and looked away.

Well, ruttin' hell.

She had been givin' him that _look_ for a couple of weeks now, and every gorram time, it had him feelin' a mighty... _oddness. _And he had a feelin' that the she knew about the oddness, 'cause recently, it seemed like she had been doin' it all the gorram time.

By this time, the girl and her brother had gone back to starin' at the box with the crew joinin' 'em and also lookin' at the box.

_Ta ma de_, this was ruttin' stupid.

He growled, "Well, you gonna ever open it, Girl or we all just going to _look_ at it, hopin' that 'ventually the X-ray vision'll kick in?"

He got three dirty looks from the womenfolk, a choked-back (once he saw Kaylee's face) chuckle from the Cap'n, but surprisingly, Simon responded, "He's right, _mei-mei_. It's meant to be opened and enjoyed."

The girl withdrew her arm from the Doc's waist, set the box on the floor, and slowly unwrapped the ribbon. Pulling off the lid of the box, everyone (includin' Jayne who had walked over from his bench) instinctively leaned forward to get a better look at Riv-_Crazy's_ present.

Kaylee's (expected) shriek was the loudest, followed by Zoe's (unexpected) gasp.

_Lao tyen yeh. _Was that...?

The Cap'n was the first to speak, "Well, I'll be...", followed by Inara's genuinely shocked, "My goodness Simon, they're so rare. How did you possibly find one - and all the way out here?"

Jayne was wonderin' that same thing his'self. Gorram, he'd never even_ seen_ a real one up-close before, just pictures on the Cortex.

The girl was runnin' her hands over it all religious-like (he wished she wouldn't do that, made his mind go... _places_) and the Doc continued to look pleased as all get-out. And for once Jayne didn't blame him. Hell, if it was real, then._.._Nicely done, Doc Tam. That was downright impressive, Core-bred _hun dan_ or not.

The girl jumped up from her crouched position, hoisted the thing on her shoulders, and brushed past Jayne as she went over to the weight bench. As she passed, he felt her hair on the exposed skin of his arm and fought with himself to keep an instinctual groan down. Crazy shouldn't be doin'... _that._

She plunked it on his bench, and he realized that it was odd - it didn't even cross his mind to protest - and the air was soon filled with a foreign crackling noise.

They watched her as she fiddled with the dials on the front. In the meantime, Kaylee had recovered and had a smile 'most as big as the Doc's on her face. Turnin' back to the Doc like he had the Sun itself shinin' out'ta his _pi gu_, she breathed, "Oh Simon, how in the 'verse did you get your hands on a_ radio_?"

Still looking at River's hunched-over form, fiddlin' with the dials, he slowly looked back and addressed the curious group with a smile, "Well, I had been talking to a man at the AV store the last time we were here - a couple of months back - and I had mentioned that I was looking for a radio. As you know, they're extremely rare, even on the Core, because everyone prefers to use the Cortex - but well, River has... an understandable aversion to the Cortex - and the man told me that because Persephone had such a large traffic of somewhat, uh, less-than-reputable merchants always passing through, he'd keep a look out. I went in today, and there it was."

At this point, the crackling had abruptly stopped. And then they heard it.

Slowly, a song, neither very fast or slow, trickled out in the bay - getting stronger and louder as River turned up the volume dial. Riv_-the girl _closed her eyes, and slowly reached a hand out, palm down. She wanted a partner.

And before Jayne could think about why he was starin' at her small, milky-white hand, the Doc darted forward and gently grabbed her hand. At that, the two began a dance around the room, with the Doc doing surprisingly alright and keepin' up with the faster beat.

At this point, Kaylee had grabbed a clearly-feelin'-Cap'n-like Mal and the two began dangerously whipping around the room, while 'Nara and Zoe laughed and clapped along.

Watchin' the girl for a couple of moments - she really was _somethin' _when she danced, music or not - Jayne soon mumbl'd something about Vera and maintenance; and figurin' no one'd care, he headed back to his bunk. Sure the crew was tolerable'n all but something about this particular scene was makin' him uncomfortable. He noticed Zoe give 'Nara a look out'ta the corner of his eye, her eyes flickin' to him and then back, but he ignored it, chalkin' it up to a comment on his _unsociable_ behaviours.

As he walked out of the bay, Jayne looked back at the battered, ol' second hand machine - still a precious commodity, though it was about Buddha-knows how old.

A radio. Well, wasn't that just _shiny_?

* * *

Four hours later, Jayne was ready to break the damn thing - precious or not, it was goin' to make him put a bullet in his brain... or someone else's. Maybe a whole bunch'a someone's.

Now Jayne was man who 'preciated music as much as the next, but the six of 'em (well, he didn't know about Zoe or 'Nara) had been shoutin' and screamin' and laughin' and _drivin' him out'ta his damn mind_ with all of the noise they were makin'.

Serenity weren't that big'a ship, and it had a whole bunch'a open space - which meant noise traveled - _and echoed loudly_.

He wondered, how could they still be goin'... their gorram legs should'a fallen off.

A high-pitched shriek filter'd down to his bunk, and_ his-hand-to-God, _he was gonna grab Vera and kill 'em all... when the noise cut out all at once.

He sighed. _Renci de Fozu_... quiet.

He stood up, maybe it was finally safe to go the mess. He was gorram starvin' after avoidi- _staying away from the damn noise_ in the bay.

He got up quickly, rollin' his shoulders - his bunk was too ruttin' small for a man his size - and climbed up the ladder.

Hearin' some noise from his right, he figured that everyone had gone in the mess to eat the food the women had worked to prepare this mornin' - for what, he now knew, was the girl's birthday meal.

He stopped. He didn't feel like facin' all of 'em right now... he _just _didn't. But his stomach growled in protest, and Jayne quickly remembered that he had stashed some protein bars near his bench in the bay.

Changin' course quickly, he didn't have time to register the faint music swelling in the bay, and he was already on the steps, coming down, when he saw her.

She was alone, and hunched over, playing around with the dials and tryin' to get a clear signal of the song that kept cutting out. She seemed to finally get it, the opening notes of the song flooded into the bay, and she straightened up.

Jayne wanted to turn around 'fore she could see him, stomach be damned, but something kept him frozen in place.

The girl was swayin'.

Slowly, gently to the deep melody of the song. He didn't even realise that he had continued to walk down, until he noticed - 'cause of how much closer he was - that he was standin' at the bottom of the stairs and that River's eyes were closed.

"_Like a flower waiting to bloom -"_

The singer's voice washed over his body, in a way that he could'a sworn he felt it - liquid and honey and velvet and smoke - like the finest gorram whiskey in the 'verse goin' down his throat.

The girl, almost as if she were movin' underwater or somethin', raised her arms above her head and continued to sway, eyes still closed. She was wearin' one of her floaty little dresses and it was flutterin' around her thighs while she danced, back and forth. And all of her hair was down around her face, tanglin' and brushin' with her shoulders in a way that made him want to touch it more'n anythin' in the 'verse...

Jayne couldn't tear his eyes away, and he wasn't sure if he was breathin' anymore.

"_Like a lightbulb in a dark room -"_

Although she wasn't making any quick movements, clapping and laughing like she had been earlier with the Doc and the others, Jayne somehow knew that this was the moment that she was enjoyin' the most. It was just for her.

It was like her entire body could feel every hum and pulse and beat of the music, in her _very bones_, and she couldn't help what she was doin' - like she was made to do it. His brain immediately protested at the thought - nah, that sounded too much like that Alliance _go se_. Not even close t'a the same.

No, it was more like... like she was _born _to move like that.

"_I'm here waitin' for you to come on home and... turn me on."_

And he couldn't help but think it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen... nah, that wasn't right either. It was more'n that that. It was gorram _erotic_ but not ...he didn't know how t'a explain it, it wasn't the, y'know, _usual_ way.

It was like a weight had settled on him, but the most pleasurable kind of weight - like a thick blanket on a freezin' night - like a fire deep in his belly, heavier and hotter than just arousal, but silky and smooth at the same time... like real _chocolate_.

The girl continued to dance, and it struck Jayne that the little thing in front of him - movin' in that heavenly way of hers - was the same River who could take on anyone, _anything_ in ruthless physical combat and come out the clear winner every time. The same girl whose brutal force could bring the entire 'verse to its knees if'n she wanted...

...was swayin' like it was the wind that had picked her up and was gently rockin' her back and forth.

He stared at her face and was surprised with how easily he could admit it to himself in that moment - after months of fighting the same thoughts back down - that _she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in all his years._

Her eyes blinked open.

...and Jayne found himself suddenly staring at the gir-_River_, who had stopped dancing.

And strangely, instead of boltin', he found himself hopin' that she had heard that last thought in his brain.

...'cause he wanted her to know -_ needed _her to know _- _and he didn't think he could say it himself.

"_After all you're the one that turned me off..."_

As he continued to watch her, her eyes filled with that _somethin_' again. He could feel his breath hammerin' inside his chest, although he could hear himself breathin' normally out loud.

"_...now you're the only one that can turn me back on."_

Slowly, she closed her eyes again.

And began dancing once more.

And Jayne, after watching her for a few more moments - appetite forgotten - went back up the steps, the way he came, intent on headin' back to his bunk.

He climbed down the ladder, kicked off his boots, lowered himself heavily to his bed and closed his eyes.

He sighed.

He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before. Wasn't that surprised though.

"_I'm just sittin' here waitin' for you to come home and... turn me on."_

_Gorram girl._

...of course, she had eyes that were the exact colour of _chocolate._

* * *

A/N: Some trivia. The birthday mentioned marks River's 19th. In my head, this is approximately, a year and a bit post-BDM (roughly 15 months).

As for the song, it's one of my absolute favourites - "Turn Me On" by the incomparable Nina Simone (which I'm _convinced_, even in some 500- odd years, will still be a classic).


End file.
